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The Superconducting Rock Magnetometer (SRM) uses a cyro-compressor to keep a small amount of Helium compressed in order to reach superconducting temperatures. The compressor is water cooled.
Chill Water Sources:
The ship’s chill water is plumbed directly to the SRM Cryomech 2800 series compressor through a heat exchanger coil (Figures 1 and 2). This system is comprised of a chilled input line and warm water return line. The heat exchanger coil is used to warm the ship’s chill water before it reaches the compressor. These lines are plumbed through a set of three way valves at the forward end of the paleomagnetics lab.
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In the event that the ship’s chill water fails or is shut down for maintenance or for repair, a backup water cooling system is in place. The backup system is a Haskris Air Cooled Water Chiller system (Figure 3). The Haskris is also plumbed to the compressor via the set of three way valves. Switching between these systems requires that the user turn the three way valves (explained below in detail).
Figure 3: Haskris Water Chiller. This unit is located at the forward end of the paleomagnetics lab. The unit is air cooled and will generate heat in the lab space.
Monitoring the System
To monitor the status of the compressor, use the CryoWATCH program (Figure 4) which is available on the SRM computer. The compressor is connected to the SRM PC via an RS232 cable. The application displays the status of the compressor and logs these values to a text file (Figure 5). The communications setup should be the default baud rate of 115200 and a slave address of 16. The com port may need to be adjusted. The current configuration requires com port number 5. Monitoring Compressor status:
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*The ship’s chill water temperature can vary. There is no method for controlling this temperature in the lab. Temperatures below 40 F have been noted and no issues were encountered. For colder water temperatures, reduce the water flow. For warmer water temperatures increase the flow rate.
Adjusting the Water Flow Rate
Because of the low temperature of the incoming chill water, it is important to set the flow rate using a metering valve found at the forward end of the paleomagnetics lab (Figure 6). You should set the flow rate as high as possible while keeping the compressor’s oil temperature above 60 F (temperatures in the 80s or 90s are better). Make small adjustments when turning the valve as reducing the flow too far will cause the compressor to shut down and give a “low flow” error. If this happens, open the valve again to the previous position and press the ON button on the compressor to restart the system. Monitor the oil tab after adjusting the metering value to ensure the temperature stays within the appropriate range.
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